The Columbian was a named passenger train operated by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...

. It was the all-coach supplemental train of the all-Pullman Capitol Limited. The train's initial route was between Jersey City, New Jersey

Jersey City, New Jersey

Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...

 and Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, but in 1941 the Columbian route was lengthened to Jersey Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

.

The Columbian between Jersey City and Washington was the first air-conditioned

Air conditioning

An air conditioner is a home appliance, system, or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle...

 passenger train in North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

. Air-conditioned equipment began operating on the train on May 24, 1931.

In 1949, a brand new lightweight Columbian train set for travel between Baltimore, Maryland, via Washington to Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 was built. The consists were ordered from Pullman-Standard for April, 1949 delivery and these two train sets have the distinction of being the only all-new consists built for the B&O in the postwar period. These two eight–car streamlined

Streamliner

A streamliner is a vehicle incorporating streamlining in a shape providing reduced air resistance. The term is applied to high-speed railway trainsets of the 1930s to 1950s, and to their successor "bullet trains". Less commonly, the term is applied to fully faired recumbent bicycles...

 trains were the only trains in the eastern U.S. to be equipped with dome car

Dome car

A dome car is a type of railway passenger car that has a glass dome on the top of the car where passengers can ride and see in all directions around the train. It also can include features of a coach, lounge car, dining car or observation...

s. Although the pair were intended as a daytime operation between Chicago and Baltimore by way of Washington the two new trains entered overnight service May 5, 1949.

On April 26, 1958, the B&O discontinued all passenger service between Jersey City and Baltimore, Maryland, and thereafter the eastern terminus of the Columbian was Baltimore. By the early 1960s, the Columbian was combined with the B&O's formerly all-Pullman Capitol Limited between Washington and Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

. When Amtrak

Amtrak

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...

 took over train service on May 1, 1971, the B&O's combined Capitol Limited – Columbian was discontinued, along with all other B&O long-distance passenger trains.

Equipment used

The following are the two consists of the Columbian (1949):

• 87A EMD F3A 1,500 hp Diesel Passenger Cab Unit
• 87X EMD F3B 1,500 hp Diesel Passenger Booster Unit
• 1350 HARPERS FERRY Baggage 12 Crew Dormitory Buffet 24 seat Coffee Shop Combination Car
• 5500 CONNELLSVILLE 56 Revenue seat Coach
• 5502 GARY 56 Revenue seat Coach
• 5550 HIGH DOME 42 Revenue seat Strata Dome Coach with 24 non-Revenue seats in Dome
• 1090 AKRON 38 seat Dining Car
• 5504 MARTINSBURG 56 Revenue seat Coach
• 5506 NEW CASTLE 56 Revenue seat Coach
• 3315 CHICAGO 27 seat Tavern Lounge Bar 26 seat Lounge Observation

Second consist:

• 88A EMD F3A 1,500 hp Diesel Passenger Cab Unit
• 88X EMD F3B 1,500 hp Diesel Passenger Booster Unit
• 1351 SILVER SPRING Baggage 12 Crew Dormitory 24 seat Coffee Shop Combination Car
• 5501 CUMBERLAND 56 Revenue seat Coach
• 5503 LA PAZ 56 Revenue seat Coach
• 5551 SKY DOME 42 Revenue seat Strata Dome Coach with 24 non-Revenue seats in Dome
• 1091 PITTSBURGH 38 seat Dining Car
• 5505 McKEESPORT 56 Revenue seat Coach
• 5507 YOUNGSTOWN 56 Revenue seat Coach
• 3316 WASHINGTON 27 seat Tavern Lounge Bar 26 seat Lounge Observation